Jealousy, Murder, and Plastic Surgery: The Chilling Case of Cyclist Moriah Wilson's Killer

The world of professional cycling was shattered in May 2022 when rising star Anna Moriah 'Mo' Wilson was gunned down in an Austin apartment. What followed was a 43-day international manhunt, a plastic surgery-fueled disguise, and a fake yoga job that finally brought her killer to justice. As documented in Screenshot (550).png, the chilling story has now been transformed into a Netflix documentary, The Truth and Tragedy of Moriah Wilson, which hit the streamer on April 3.

A Rising Star Silenced

Wilson, known to everyone as 'Mo,' grew up in Vermont alongside her brother Matt. Their father, a former skier, taught them both to ski, and Wilson excelled from a young age. She attended a special school that balanced academics with intense ski training. 'One of the main requirements for going here is that you aspire to be an Olympic level athlete,' her brother Matt recalled in the documentary. 'She had that dream from the beginning.'

But a series of serious injuries derailed her skiing ambitions. Instead of giving up on competitive sports, Wilson pivoted to cycling, discovering a passion for gravel and mountain biking. She quickly became a standout, winning races and traveling the country. 'I had spent a lot of time riding bikes with my family, and then I discovered that gravel cycling was a thing and ended up buying a gravel bike,' she said in a resurfaced interview featured in the documentary.

The Love Triangle That Turned Deadly

Wilson's path soon crossed with Colin Strickland, another professional cyclist who ran a trailer restoration business with his on-again, off-again girlfriend, Kaitlin Armstrong. The couple's relationship was described by Strickland himself as 'tumultuous,' per CBS Austin.

In September 2021, Strickland met Wilson at a gravel race in Idaho. The two grabbed drinks after the race, and Strickland later insisted it was strictly platonic. 'I had a girlfriend,' he said in a 2022 interview. 'We didn't have any romantic conversations at all. We just talked about her future career.'

But about a month later, during one of Strickland's breakups with Armstrong, he and Wilson 'effectively started dating' for about a week. Wilson's journal, shown in the Netflix doc, revealed her feelings: 'Being with Colin, I noticed myself gravitating towards his words of affection. They made me feel safe, like I mattered and had value. I think I like him more than I've wanted to admit out of major fear that he doesn't feel the same way.'

By February 2022, the brief romance fizzled out. The two realized they 'weren't on the same page,' and Wilson wrote that their relationship had cooled. But they remained friends.

Armstrong's Growing Jealousy

Strickland later reconnected with Armstrong, who allegedly became obsessed with Wilson. Friends claimed Armstrong would randomly call Wilson to announce she was back with Strickland. Wilson's mother also remembered her daughter mentioning that Strickland's girlfriend didn't like her.

At one point, Strickland changed Wilson's contact name in his phone to hide their friendship from Armstrong. But that only fueled Armstrong's suspicion when she discovered it.

At a Glance: The Moriah Wilson Case

• May 11, 2022: Wilson is shot three times in an Austin apartment.
• May 17, 2022: Arrest warrant issued for Kaitlin Armstrong.
• June 29, 2022: Armstrong captured in Costa Rica after plastic surgery.
• Nov. 16, 2023: Found guilty of first-degree murder.
• Sentenced to 90 years in prison.

The Night of the Murder

On May 11, 2022, Wilson was in Austin for a race and staying at a friend's apartment. She texted Strickland to catch up, and they decided to go for a swim and grab dinner. Restaurant surveillance video showed the two chatting casually.

Armstrong was not okay with that. She had tracked Strickland's phone and followed him to the restaurant, according to GPS records. Strickland then drove Wilson home and dropped her off at 8:36 p.m. Just one minute later, Armstrong's black car was spotted driving around the same neighborhood.

At around 9:15 p.m., security footage from Wilson's friend's home captured the sound of three gunshots. When the friend returned roughly half an hour later, Wilson was already dead.

How the Killer Evaded Justice

When police first interviewed Strickland, he appeared confused and quiet. He confirmed that the car on surveillance footage belonged to Armstrong. Armstrong was brought in for questioning but refused to answer, and police lacked enough evidence to arrest her at the time.

But within days, authorities uncovered GPS data placing Armstrong's car at the crime scene. They also learned that Strickland had bought a gun matching the murder weapon. On May 17, a warrant was issued for Armstrong's arrest — but she was already gone.

Armstrong had flown to see her sister, taken her sister's passport, and boarded a plane to Costa Rica. While on the run, she underwent roughly $6,000 worth of plastic surgery, including lip fillers, rhinoplasty, and a brow lift, as her surgeon Dr. Jorge Badilla later revealed on Dateline in 2024.

Authorities tracked her to a Costa Rican village but needed to lure her out. Armstrong was a former yoga instructor, so they posted a fake yoga instructor job application. She bit, and was arrested on June 29, 2022, after responding to the posting.

Trial and Sentencing

Armstrong was extradited to the United States, charged with first-degree murder and unlawful flight to avoid prosecution. Just days before her trial, she attempted to escape from a medical facility outside the prison, running out of the office and trying to jump a fence before being caught.

She pleaded not guilty, but prosecutors presented a mountain of evidence: GPS data, DNA at the scene, and testimony from Strickland about Armstrong's jealousy. On Nov. 16, 2023, she was convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to 90 years in prison.

Armstrong is currently serving out her sentence at the Dr. Lane Murray Unit, a Texas state prison for women in Gatesville.

The Netflix Documentary

Wilson's story — her talent, her tragedy, and the woman who took her life — is explored in depth in The Truth and Tragedy of Moriah Wilson. The documentary features emotional interviews with Wilson's family, friends, and colleagues, painting a heartbreaking portrait of a woman whose promise was extinguished in a flash of jealousy.

The case remains one of the most shocking stories in cycling history, a stark reminder of how obsession can spiral into murder. As captured in Screenshot (550).png, the full account of Wilson's brilliance, the betrayal, and the bizarre attempts to escape justice are now seared into the public memory.

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